


Truth or Dare

by Tommykaine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Imperius, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 03:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14179296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommykaine/pseuds/Tommykaine
Summary: Severus never had to try harder to keep his composure. Even then, it seemed he wasn't being as successful as he hoped.“You look nervous”, Bellatrix noted, grinning widely. “What's wrong? Getting cold feet already?”“Give him a break, Bella, it's his first time”, Lucius said, patting his younger friend on the back.Severus didn't change his expression, but he was secretly grateful to him. He told himself he had no reason to be nervous, he knew what he was getting himself into.--Severus's first official mission as a Death Eather proves to be harder than he expected it to be.





	Truth or Dare

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LDF's Notte Bianca's prompt, "Obbligo o Verità" (Truth or Dare)

  
  


Severus never had to try harder to keep his composure. Even then, it seemed he wasn't being as successful as he hoped.

“You look nervous”, Bellatrix noted, grinning widely. “What's wrong? Getting cold feet already?”

“Give him a break, Bella, it's his first time”, Lucius said, patting his younger friend on the back.

Severus didn't change his expression, but he was secretly grateful to him. He told himself he had no reason to be nervous, he knew what he was getting himself into.

Bellatrix scoffed.

“You should be excited to have a chance to prove yourself to the Dark Lord!”, she said, walking in front of them and crossing her arms as she looked around. “Where is Barthy anyway? What's taking him so long now?”

As if evoked by her comment, the young Bartemious Crouch suddenly Apparated in front of them with a loud pop.

“Is everyone here?”, he asked, sounding almost as impatient as Bellatrix.

“About time!”, she remarked, huffing. “We were waiting for you!”

“Sorry, I was...”

“Enough”, Lucius interrupted them, taking out his wand. “Let's not waste any more time.”

Severus swallowed hard at those words. That was it. There was no going back now.

  
  


When Lucius had come to tell him he was to join them in their next mission, Severus had felt a lot more confident. Especially when he learned he'd been picked specifically for his talent in Legilimancy. The Dark Lord was very interested in knowing how good he was at it on the field. That was the perfect occasion to show how much he was worth and how committed he was to serving him.

He didn't know why the reality of what they were about to do dawned on him just when it was too late to refuse, or at least postpone it.

As they broke into the house of the family that was reportedly hiding Mudbloods from “persecution”, Severus could barely hold back a surprised gasp.

Hiding behind a fierce-looking woman were two children, the biggest of which could not be older than eight. They both had the same dark brown hair and bright blue eyes as their mother.

The father was tall and blonde. He jumped out of the shadows, intending to take advantage of their distraction while the woman tried to run off with their children, but the Death Eaters had surrounded them and blocked all exits.

Soon they had them all trapped in the same room, snatching up their wands and cornering them against the wall. The tall man had a nasty burn on his face from one of Bartemius's curses, but he was trying not to show his suffering.

“We have no beef with you, Lefae. Just tell us where the Mudbloods are, and your family will be spared”. Lucius tried to reason with him.

Bellatrix couldn't hold back a chuckle, and the man – who was clearly Augustus Lefae – glared at her.

“How dare you come into my house, terrify my family and then falsely accuse me with baseless accusations!”, he growled, standing tall and proud.

“Severus?”. Lucius turned towards him.

Severus held back a sigh and took a deep breath as he stared into the man's eyes, knowing what was expected of him.

“He's lying”.

Augustus paled, then turned bright red. Bellatrix laughed again and took out her wand, waltzing towards the group.

“Well well well, he wants to play with us, huh? You think this is a game?”, she asked in a sing-song voice, tilting her head. “Alright then, we've got a game to play with you. It's called Truth or Dare”.

“It's a wonderful game!”, Bartemius gleefully said. “We're going to ask you a question. If you answer with the truth... then you will be spared. If, however, you lie to us, you will have to do a dare”.

Severus wondered if it was his first time too. He surely didn't look like he had any hesitation. In fact he seemed to be enjoying himself. It was kind of sickening.

He told himself he shouldn't be bothered by it. Those people were enemies of the Dark Lord. His job was to get rid of them. If he wanted to win his favour, he would have to demonstrate he wasn't going to get cold feet on his first assignment.

He glanced towards the boys, who were trying and failing to look as confident as their parents. He hadn't expected there to be children. Surely their parents knew they were in danger. Why didn't they send them off somewhere else. Did they not care about what happened to them?

“Who should we start with?”, Bellatrix asked. When nobody answered, she started walking towards the oldest boy. Immediately, Augustus ran towards her and put himself inbetween them.

“I'll do it! Leave my family alone!”, he hissed.

“Very well! Let's begin with an easy question. Are you hiding the Mudbloods inside this house?”, she asked, pointing her wand right against his chest.

“I don't know of any M-Mudbloods!”, he replied, too quickly. Severus didn't even need the Legilimancy to know he was lying. Apparently neither did Bellatrix.

“Oooh, too bad! _Imperio_ ”.

The tall wizard tried to resist, but her magic was too strong. His previously proud posture became slouched and his eyes blank. Severus could feel his mind emptying from all thoughts except that to obey all he was told.

“I dare you to let yourself fall down the stairs!”, Bellatrix cheerfully said.

Under the horrified look of his wife and children, the man walked out of the room and towards the corridor, until he reached the staircase. The Death Eaters forced the others to follow him in order to look as he stopped, pressed his arms against his sides and let himself fall limply down the stairs.

Severus looked in horror as the man tumbled down like a ragdoll, his limbs flailing around helplessly. Bellatrix and Bartemius seemed to find the spectacle extremely amusing, laughing like a pack of wild hyenas. Even Rabastan Lestrange let out a low chuckle.

“Let me try it! _Imperio!_ ”, Bartemius said, forcing the man to climb all the way up the stairs before letting himself fall again, his limbs bending in an unnatural position.

At the third time this was repeated, his wife finally broke down in tears.

“Stop it! Leave him alone!”.

Bellatrix and Bartemius both turned around towards her, showing a pair of equally deranged grins on their face.

“Very well, so it's your turn!”, Bellatrix chirped, ceasing her control on the man's mind.

Augustus nearly fell down again but he managed to grip on the handrail, dragging himself up the last few steps. One of his legs was clearly broken, and now that he no longer was under the Imperius curse he was unable to stand on it.

“Are you hiding the Mudbloods inside his house?”, Bellatrix asked again.

“No! They're not here! Leave us alone!”, the woman cried, tears running down her cheeks.

Severus clenched his fists. Nobody said his name this time, but he could feel their gazes on him.

“She's... she's lying”.

He wished he didn't have to see her accusing gaze. Hopefully his expression wasn't betraying the turmoil of emotions stirring up inside him.

Bartemius took out a knife, walking towards her as he pointed his wand at her face.

“ _Imperio!_ I dare you to cut off the fingers of one of your sons”.

Severus forced himself to watch.

That was what was required of him, to prove his worth to the Dark Lord. No sacrifice was too big, no price too high. He had decided this already. So why was he hesitating now?

He wished the screaming would be the worst part of it. But it wasn't.

Staring as she raised the knife again and the oldest son begged over and over for her not to do it, sobbing like a wounded animal every time the blade fell down on his fingers, Severus tried to hold back the nauseous feeling he was getting.

Maybe it would be easier the next time. Then he realized, this meant he would have to repeat this again. See more and more families broken like this, also because of him.

He tried to empty his own mind from any thoughts, just like them every time the curse was cast.

“I dare you to gauge out your left eye”.

“I dare you to strangle your own brother”.

“I dare you to dance on your broken leg”.

“I dare you to jump out of the window!”

It all became a blur of ruthless laughter, silent begging and desperate screams.

Over and over they kept lying again and again, until finally the youngest brother cracked.

“They're in the cellar! The password is Absinthe”.

Bellatrix didn't even bother to thank him.

“It seems our game has come to its conclusion!”, she said. “So now, I dare you to cut your mother's throat”.

  
  


Severus told himself it was mercy killing when her curse hit the boy's chest. There was a bright green flash, and then silence.

“Let's go find the Mudbloods. We still have time to play!”, Bartemius noted, much to everyone's amusement.

Severus laughed along.

Maybe with time it would get easier. Maybe he just wasn't used to it yet.

Maybe, if he told himself this was all he could do, he would actually believe it.

 


End file.
